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Article published October 22, 2013

If I were coach

Steve Moorhead Butler

Want to waste six dollars and three hours on a beautiful fall evening? Attend a Butler Golden Tornado football game. The loudest cheers are heard at halftime as the outstanding Butler Band takes the field. Many fans leave after the band’s performance.Why can’t Butler compete in AAAA football? Consider these points. Unlike many of their opponents, they conduct no formal, organized off-season (year-round) program. The team is not together for many months at a time. The team does not distribute a playbook to its players at any level. Even in a basic format, it would be a valuable tool. This would enable players to study their own individual responsibilities on each play. The playbook could be issued at the junior high level and used through high school. Live tackling at practices throughout the week is very limited or non-existent. I understand that this is done to limit injuries, but by teaching proper technique through repetition, player safety is enhanced. How can the coaching staff expect players to turn on a switch and aggressively tackle on Friday nights? Isn’t coaching about relating to adolescent males? The ability to look for and adapt to the strengths of the roster, instead of forcing a square peg into a round hole, is essential to being a great coach. Shouldn’t a coach be there to encourage and lift up his players? Lastly, the Golden Tornado roster numbers upwards of 80 players, but many are spectators. Many players are playing on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. This is common in single A football or with smaller rosters. In many cases, Butler is undersized compared to its opponent. Might a fresher player, of similar ability, be better able to compete?As the season trends toward an all too familiar path, with lopsided outcomes, continue to support the hardworking, dedicated players — but question how we got here. Butler football will return to its glory days when all the athletes sitting in section six on Friday nights, in glorious Art Bernardi Stadium, return to the field.